Far-right surges in Croatia as EU disappointment spreads
By DUSAN STOJANOVIC and DARKO BANDIC 37 minutes ago
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — It was one of the biggest nights in Croatia's sporting
calendar: a European Championship soccer qualifying match with Italy. Seconds
after kick-off in a game beamed around the world, a gigantic swastika
materialized on the pitch under the shocked gaze of European soccer officials.
The swastika, sprayed by an unknown vandal with a chemical that became visible
only when floodlights went on to start the game, has become the most potent
symbol of a rise in ultra-nationalist sentiment that appears to be bleeding
into the mainstream population in the European Union's newest member state.
But it's not the only one. In the mixed ethnic towns of eastern Croatia, road
signs in the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet have been destroyed and Serbian Orthodox
churches have been vandalized with a "U'' symbol representing the Nazi-linked
World War II Ustasha regime. On weekends, Ustasha chants echo at sports venues
and rock concerts.
The appearance of such symbols is perhaps unsurprising for a country that
during World War II which sent tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews and Gypsies to
death camps. But the Balkan state's current leaders have called for change
after the global outcry prompted by the swastika on the field.
"This act has inflicted immeasurable damage on the reputation of Croatian
citizens and their homeland all over the world," said Croatia's new
conservative president, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. "Therefore, we must finally
put a stop to such things."
The rise of the right in Croatia has been fueled by deep economic hardship and
growing public anger over the inability of the left-leaning government to deal
with it, even after the country entered the EU two years ago, fueling dreams of
sudden riches that have not materialized.
Minorities, especially Serbs, have complained of fears for their safety since
Grabar-Kitarovic was elected president in December. The Anti-Serb graffiti has
evoked memories of the bloodshed that engulfed the region during the 1990s
Balkans wars that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.
At an event last month in southern Austria, Croatian ultranationalist Ivica
Safaric proudly brandished the "U'' Ustasha symbol on a medallion around his
neck. His companions in black shirts raised their right arms high in a Nazi
salute, shouting out a dreaded battle call "For the homeland — Ready!" used by
wartime Croatian fascist troops.
"I respect the Ustasha movement because it created the independent state of
Croatia," said Safaric, who fought for Croatia's independence in the 1990s.
The gathering in Bleiburg was a memorial to tens of thousands of pro-Nazi
soldiers, their families, children and civilians killed by communist guerrillas
at the end of the war in 1945.
Commemorations for the Bleiburg massacre victims are held every year in May,
but last month's gathering was by far the largest ever, with an estimated
40,000 people participating. It happened as much of Europe marked the 70th
anniversary of liberation from the Nazis, and the pro-Nazi imagery at Bleiburg
was met by muted response from Croatia's politicians.
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FILE - In this Friday, June 12, 2015 file photo, a big Nazi Swastika symbol is
implanted on a grass …
Grabar-Kitarovic endorsed the Bleiburg commemorations and honored the victims
just days ahead of the main event, but did not go there when the crowds
gathered. She also paid an informal visit to the site of an Ustasha-run death
camp in Jasenovac, but did not attend official commemorations of the 70th
anniversary of the camp's liberation.
In an illustration of the ideological divide in the country, Croatia's
embattled leftist Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic did participate in the
official ceremonies at Jasenovac, where at least 80,000 people, mostly Serbs,
were killed. He urged Croats to acknowledge what happened in the death camp as
part of the Nazi genocidal machine.
Analysts say the right-wing advance in Croatia — traditionally deeply split
between left-wing and conservative traditions — has surged to its highest point
since the country gained independence from the former Serb-led Yugoslavia in
the 1991-95 war.
"Sadly, the extreme right is more visible than ever in the past 25 years in
Croatia," said historian Hrvoje Klasic.
Minority Serbs, who fought against Croatia's independence during the Yugoslav
wars in the 1990s, have been under increasing pressure by the nationalists.
Croatian war veterans campaigning under the slogan "100 percent Croatia" —
implying an ethnically pure state — have demanded that Serbs stop using the
Cyrillic alphabet in Croatia, although their right to do so is guaranteed by
the country's laws.
Alarmed by the surge, thousands of gay activists and their liberal supporters
marched in Croatia's capital Zagreb last weekend under the slogan: "Louder and
More Courageous: Antifascism Without Compromise."
"We chose the slogan because we don't like where Croatia is heading," said
Marko Jurcic, one of the march organizers. "We don't want a 100 percent pure
Croatia, we want a diverse Croatia."
Most Croatian officials are downplaying the far-right surge, saying it is part
of pre-election campaigning.
"Croatian society is not better or worse than in the other EU countries," said
Parliament speaker Josip Leko. "We are in an election year and some themes are
being opened by those who want to attract sympathizers."
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